CHAPTER 97: MILK ME

Chapter 97 – Milk Me

Lux adjusted his collar and muttered, "Still smells like smug."

A nearby staff member—a glowing humanoid in an ivory suit with gold threads—looked up from a floating reception desk.

The being’s eyes widened. Visibly panicked.

Lux gave a lazy smile.

"Hey," he said, strolling up casually. "I’d like to redeem a therapy coupon. From Celestaria."

"...Now?" the staff stammered.

"Yeah," Lux said. "Isn’t that how coupons work? You use them."

The staff scrambled, trying to tap invisible panels. "Sir, you didn’t schedule an appointment. There’s protocol—there’s—there’s clearance!"

"I thought this was the Upper Realm," Lux said. "Shouldn’t forgiveness and help be immediate? I had sent my email earlier."

"...Th-that’s not how scheduling works. At least, you need to wait for the reply— "

But out of sudden, the walls pulsed once. The floor beneath Lux glowed, tracing golden lines around his boots. A soft hum vibrated in the air like a deep piano note being held too long.

Then a second ding.

An archway opened nearby. The light inside shimmered warm, comforting, terrifying.

The staff member just stood there, frozen like they’d just seen a murder.

Lux gave a wink.

"Tell Celestaria I brought my own baggage," he said.

Then walked into the therapy room.

It was... not what he expected.

Soft light. Warm couches. Giant window showing a view of the stars—and beyond that, the endless spirals of other realms spinning like galaxies. A divine tea machine purred softly in the corner, guarded by a mini Seraph with a clipboard.

And in the center...

A woman sat cross-legged, floating a few inches above the plush white rug. She glowed. Not obnoxiously. Just... warm. Real.

Celestaria.

High Custodian of Progression Paths.

She opened one eye lazily, floating a few inches above a rug that probably cost more than most kingdoms. "You’re early."

"I came unscheduled," Lux said with a shrug, already eyeing the couches like a man preparing to emotionally collapse in style.

"I noticed," she replied, setting her teacup down with divine grace. "The alarms screamed."

Lux didn’t even try to hide his grimace. "I didn’t expect my therapist to be you, though. I thought I’d get, like... some serene angel with round glasses and a clipboard. Not you."

Celestaria smirked faintly, not bothering to rise yet. Her light didn’t dim—if anything, it leaned more smug. "Why? Feel exposed?"

"I feel like I’m about to confess my sins to a priest, not get mental therapy," Lux muttered.

Celestaria tilted her head. "It’s not that different. Confession is a form of healing. It releases inner wounds. Eases burdens. Brings light."

Lux groaned, rubbing his temple. "Great. I get celestial therapy and guilt tripping."

She finally rose to her feet, moving like someone who didn’t walk so much as glide by divine executive order. "Guilt is just unresolved awareness. You’re welcome."

He eyed her. "Then can I at least have a coffee to start with? Something to keep me from crying holy tears mid-session?"

She folded her arms in mock offense. "We have milk. And tea."

"Tea?" Lux echoed, staring like she’d just offered him vinegar. "What kind of hellspawn serves tea to a Greed demon on the edge?"

"This isn’t hell," she said sweetly. "And coffee is terrible for spiritual health. It spikes your soul’s rhythm and irritates the purity currents."

Lux blinked. "...You’re making that up."

She didn’t deny it.

He sighed and sank into the nearest therapy couch. "Fine. Milk me."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, give me the milk," he groaned, covering his face. "And forget I said it like that."

Celestaria chuckled quietly as a glowing assistant rolled in with a crystal tray of warm almond milk and glowing chamomile tea. The mini seraph bowed politely, then hovered near the door like a moral support spirit with a clipboard.

Lux accepted the glass with all the grace of a man defeated by divine lactose.

"...You know what would go good with this?" he muttered.

"Don’t say coffee."

He glared, lifting the warm glass of almond milk like it was a curse. "A bullet."

Celestaria sighed and floated down into the chair across from him, folding one leg over the other like a therapist on a divine talk show.

"Want me to hold your hand through your emotional breakdown, or should we just skip straight to the soul excavation?" she asked, too cheerful for someone about to spiritually dissect a demon.

Lux narrowed his eyes. "Is that how you usually start sessions?"

"No," she said. "To be honest, you are my only clients."

He huffed. "Right. So I’m an experiment."

She huffed through her nose and pulled a crystalline notepad into her lap, its surface glowing with shifting text only she could read. "Alright, Greed Incubus. What’s broken today?"

Lux tilted his head back, the almond milk still in hand, and stared at the ceiling like it had answers. "Where do I start..."

"Childhood trauma?"

"Please. My parents left me alone for only almost two centuries. That’s standard."

"Repressed infernal identity crisis?"

"I thrive on my infernal identity."

"Mid-century lust addiction?"

"Tempting, but no."

She raised one perfect eyebrow. "Romantic instability with celestial and/or infernal royalty?"

He stopped.

Didn’t even blink.

"...That’s a stupidly specific guess."

Celestaria sipped her tea with infinite smugness. "You reek of Pride perfume. Sira’s scent isn’t subtle, Lux."

"She cornered me in a café," he muttered.

"And then?"

"She tried to seduce me."

"And?"

"I rejected her."

Celestaria blinked. "Wow."

"I know."

"And you’re here because...?"

Lux rubbed his face with one hand. "Because I don’t know if she came to see me or if she felt the divine artifact I absorbed. Because I’m not sure if she’s playing the long game or genuinely—" he hesitated, "—lonely."

"Sounds like a toxic ex."

"She’s not an ex," he groaned.

"Yet," Celestaria said, flipping a page on her glowing notepad.

"I hate this place," Lux muttered.

"And yet you keep coming back."

Lux clicked his tongue, swirling the last of the almond milk in his glass. "It’s the guilt lighting. You people make everything look like a soft epiphany is one comfy chair away."

Celestaria leaned forward, elbow on knee, resting her chin in her hand. Her divine glow softened a little, warm like dusk light through gauzy curtains. "You look more free in this state."

"Yeah..." Lux’s voice dropped, almost to a whisper. "I’m trying."